MOWOW - Beware Quaint Country Living!

What’s not to love about New England? Quaint little towns where time appears to stand still, with friendly locals. Towns where stressed out city folk love to buy maple syrup and wear flannel without judgement. The village of Cornwall Coombe is no exception… or is it?

Technically, The Dark Secret of Harvest Home is a two-part mini-series, but it was made for TV so it counts!

The Story: Nick and Kate Constantine are struggling to keep their marriage together and their teenage daughter, Kate, safe from the streets of NYC. Just when things are about to unravel, the Constantine’s come into an inheritance and decide to move out of the city to the small village of Cornwell Coombe, an idyllic faming community where they are immediately welcomed by the town’s matriarch, Widow Fortune. As they acclimate to their new lifestyle, Nick suspects there is something far more sinister going on than moonshining. Ancient festivals and pagan rituals make living in NYC seem like a vacation.

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This mini-series is based on the book Harvest Home by Thomas Tryon. I have not read the novel, but his book The Other is a favorite of mine so I have no doubt it’s fantastic. Regardless, at nearly four hours long, there are a lot of sub-plots that may work in the book, but unfortunately add confusion and long stretches that will leave you thinking, “Is this movie ever going to end?” Granted, maybe watching it all in one sitting isn’t the way to go. It is a mini-series after all.

The core cast is solid, starting with Bette Davis. She stars as the Widow Fortune and it is a role she was made for. This is also an early vehicle for a brunette Rosanna Arquette and a teeny, tiny Tracey Gold (Growing Pains). There is also sporadic religious narration by Donald Pleasence.

Despite the length and moments of tedium, the climax of this film is worth the wait. It’s an epic pagan spectacular where the women run the show and the men hide.

Supernatural Honey Rating: 3 batches of moonshine out of 5

The Dark Secret of Harvest Home is available to watch on YouTube. Be warned, it’s a taped copy from the TV so the quality is poor.

Would you live in a town run by Bette Davis?Tell me why on Twitter: @suzebee04